Work and family just don't mix...

[Becks]

My niece had <snip> punched 2 holes in my apartment's walls

Uh...

I'm having trouble with this one.

[Kiwi]

I hope your mom is paying for the damages her little angel caused?

[blas]

Take her to Judge Judy. She hates cheap people who refuse responsibility for their own (or their childrens') actions.

Your mother should have thought better in the first place. Your neice is special needs and needs to be in a daycare with people qualified to handle children like that (not implying that you aren't), and have more......rrr.....indesctructable daycare centers. It takes a person with a lot of patience to handle children like that.

Your mother should reimburse you *in full* everything her daughter destroyed. I shudder to imagine a toddler being able to punch holes in the wall, but then again, it's not unheard of.

Good to know your children and pets are alright! I cannot imagine what I'd do if another child kicked my newborn baby or started beating on my child....

[NotSoInnocent]

To all those asking if I ever managed to get paid for the damages....

Nope. Not a cent. I'd take her to court... but that would cost more than I would get in return. And, of course, my mom knows how tight finances are right now. It's been a year, and the most I hope for is to get a little cash at X-mas and birthdays. (not that that's ever going to happen.)

I'm glad my niece is being well cared for now... but here's an interesting tidbit from this past weekend:

Almost my entire family works at the local Ren Faire. This includes my mother. I got an extra babysitting gig for the weekends at the faire. ($75 a weekend... not too shabby) My mother came up and asked me this little gem:

"If you can take on another kid on the weekends, why won't you watch 'A'?"

My reply:

"You know I love her, but I'm afraid that with the number of children I'm caring for I simply wouldn't be able to give her as much attention as she would need."

Diplomatic, no? Especially when what I wanted to say was "Are you fing kidding me??? I want that destructive little st kept as far away from my kids as possible!"

[protege]

I shudder to imagine a toddler being able to punch holes in the wall, but then again, it's not unheard of.

Depends on what the wall is made of. Thin, 1970s-style paneling is easy to knock holes in. My brother and I were playing in the basement...and one of our toy trucks rolled, hit the wall, and the bumper went through it. Needless to say, our father was pissed

One of my cousins, who is *not* considered part of the family anymore was out of control when she was younger. Her parents apparently didn't believe in discipline of any sort, and let her do whatever. In other words, that part of the family wouldn't be out of place on Jerry Springer. As a result, she was (and is) a bitch, and usually is nasty to everyone.

Except me. Why? Well, when we were younger, she tried to hit me at a family reunion. I told her to knock it off, but she didn't listen Sick of it, I hit her in the face. (We were only 3, folks, so the whole "don't hit girls" thing hadn't sunk in yet.) She cried to her dad, who promptly laughed at her. Did I get into trouble? Nope Ever since then, she's nothing but nice to me.

[reformedwaitress]

Did you tell your mother that this child kicked a newborn baby in the head? That could KILL the poor thing! That is NOT okay! Is "A" being taken care of cheaply more important than the health, safety and LIVES of your mother's other grandchildren? Someone needs to sort out her priorities.

Good for you for standing up for yourself and your children!

[IlovemyGeek]

Wow, you have the patience of a saint.

[NotSoInnocent]

Did you tell your mother that this child kicked a newborn baby in the head? That could KILL the poor thing! That is NOT okay! Is "A" being taken care of cheaply more important than the health, safety and LIVES of your mother's other grandchildren? Someone needs to sort out her priorities.

I told her. Her response was that I should have been watching more closely. ... ... Ummmm... With FOUR kids in the house... I don't think so. I was, at the time, in the kitchen making snacks.

Wow, you have the patience of a saint.

Thank you. I guess that being the mommy-figure for all of my siblings... and my cousins... sort of made me into the woman I am today. I may be patient, but I don't tolerate ill-mannered behavior for long. (And then only when it really is age-appropriate behavior.)

[karma_gypsy]

Nope. Not a cent. I'd take her to court... but that would cost more than I would get in return. And, of course, my mom knows how tight finances are right now. It's been a year, and the most I hope for is to get a little cash at X-mas and birthdays. (not that that's ever going to happen.)

For your mom to threaten you to take you to court . . . and then for you to turn around and have the ability to take her to court and have a fairly easy win . . . I'm glad you didn't inherit any of her SCness.

Most people would jump at the chance to go to court, and they don't even care about court costs, only the whole idea of it (kinda of like to prove you right and her wrong).

You are a true daughter then (and a saint). Simply not even wanting to go to court just because you know what kind of tight situation that will put your mom in is the nicest thing you could ever do. Respect and caring people are a dying thing in this country.

The cat's fur will grow back, the dog's ear will heal over, the holes in the wall can be repaired. Although that little girl will be "mentally" challenged for the rest of her life, she didn't know any better and it should have been up to your mom to save grace and at least apologize.

Almost my entire family works at the local Ren Faire.

Now that's just downright freakin' cool

[steviededalus]

To all those asking if I ever managed to get paid for the damages....

Nope. Not a cent. I'd take her to court... but that would cost more than I would get in return. And, of course, my mom knows how tight finances are right now. It's been a year, and the most I hope for is to get a little cash at X-mas and birthdays. (not that that's ever going to happen.)

Why do you think that going to court would cost more than you would get? If the amount is small enough, you can take her to small claims court and won't even have to pay a lawyer. If the amount is large enough, you can hire a lawyer on a contingent fee basis (where they'd get 1/3 or so of the recovery). And depending on what state you live in, the court might make your mother pay for court costs and possibly attorney's fees.

And yeah, family is family, but money is money. If she didn't want to get sued, she shouldn't have signed a contract.

[steviededalus]

Why do you think that going to court would cost more than you would get? If the amount is small enough, you can take her to small claims court and won't even have to pay a lawyer. If the amount is large enough, you can hire a lawyer on a contingent fee basis (where they'd get 1/3 or so of the recovery). And depending on what state you live in, the court might make your mother pay for court costs and possibly attorney's fees.

And yeah, family is family, but money is money. If she didn't want to get sued, she shouldn't have signed a contract.

Oh, and I should add that I am not a lawyer, you are not my client, and you should seek professional legal advice before starting any court action.

Word.

[dougall]

Of course as you are family she will pay for the damaged items right away won't she.

[Andara Bledin]

Just a note, but to open a small claims case, you have to pay court fees for the filing. It's not an incredible amount of money, but it's more than most small claims cases come out to.

However, there is a spot on the form that you can check that informs the court that you want the other party to also be required to pay for the legal fees in addition to the amount you're trying to collect.

I'm getting to the point where I'm considering taking my brother to small claims court. Not that I'll get any money out of him that way. It'd just be my way of letting him know that I will never ever let him have another penny out of me. He's been failing to pay me for rent, utilities, and food for several years. I figure in the last year alone he owes me about $7,000.00.

^-.-^